“All The Pretty Things” by Emily Arsenault was released on March 17. The novel is captivating atmospherically but ultimately fails to deliver memorable characters. Photo fair use of Goodreads
“All The Pretty Things” by Emily Arsenault will engross readers with a fast pace and captivating atmosphere good for binge-reading during self-isolation, but underdeveloped characters that detract from the book’s excitement will leave some readers unfulfilled.
Author Emily Arsenault released her eighth book, titled “All The Pretty Things” on March 17. The young adult novel follows ordinary teen Ivy as she navigates startling complications in her attempt to gain insight into the mysterious death of a co-worker.
Ivy works at her father’s amusement park, Fabuland, with her best friend Morgan. In the days after Morgan finds the dead body Ethan, a Fabuland employee who suffered from Down syndrome, she begins to act distant. This leads Ivy to further investigate the incident and the questions that arise from her research, uncovering unexpected secrets about her family and friends along the way.
The book consistently engages readers as Ivy discovers more each chapter, leading her to mystifying questions that expand her scope of reality.
Fabuland also adds to the story’s allure. The small-town summer atmosphere maintained throughout the book will pull readers in, engaging them with fair food, whimsical rides and anecdotes from Ivy’s childhood summers at the park.
While enticing, these elements only take the book so far.
Throughout the book, the author fails to attribute enough unique personality traits to Ivy, making her a dull and uninteresting character to follow.
Additionally, because Ivy was only an acquaintance of Ethan’s, her actions lack an emotional significance. While her love for her best friend justifies some of her efforts to get to the bottom of Ethan’s death, her continued persistence to solve the mystery demands a clearer rationale.
Furthermore, the book mostly centers around Ivy questioning new people about Ethan to find answers. Such quick, uniform conversations are repetitive throughout much of the long novel and reveal many characters’ lack of identity and complexity. These shallow portrayals make it difficult for readers to connect with the characters on a deeper level that is expected with a 352-page book.
Overall, the mystery’s ties to Fabuland and dynamic plot make the novel a satisfying read on the surface, but characters that lack depth will ultimately distance readers from investing in the storyline. This book will entertain readers looking for small-town summer fun, but those that want interesting characters to become absorbed in during social distancing will find that the book does not deliver.
